Reinhold Schünzel
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Reinhold Schünzel (7 November 1888 – 11 November 1954) was a German actor and director, active in both Germany and the United States. The son of a German father and a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
mother, he was born in
St. Pauli St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pau ...
, the poorest part of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. Despite his ancestry, Schünzel was allowed by the
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
to continue making films for several years until he left in 1937 to live abroad.


Biography


Life in Germany

Reinhold Schünzel (or Schuenzel) started his career as an actor in 1915 with a role in the film '' Werner Krafft''. He directed his first film in 1918's ''
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
'' and in 1920 directed '' The Girl from Acker Street'' and ''
Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
''. He was one of Germany's best-known silent film stars after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, a period during which films were significantly influenced by the consequences of the war. Schünzel performed in both comedies and dramas, often appearing as a villain or a powerful and corrupt man. He was influenced by filmmakers such as his mentor
Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early life and career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, ...
and
Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; ; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; a ...
, for whom he worked as an actor in the film ''
Madame Du Barry Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry (; 28 August 1744 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution on accusations of treason—particularly being ...
'' in 1919. Schünzel's work was very popular in Germany and the Nazi regime gave him the title of ''Ehrenarier'' or ''Honorary Aryan'', allowing him to continue to direct and act despite his Jewish heritage (his mother was Jewish). He found that the government, first under
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...
and later under
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, interfered with his film projects, compelling him to leave in 1937. Schünzel described both the Kaiser and Hitler "persons of recognized authority and the worst possible dramatic taste."


In the United States

Schünzel came to the United States in 1937, and began his American career in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
. Among the films he directed were '' Rich Man, Poor Girl'' (1938), '' Ice Follies'' (1939), ''
Balalaika The balalaika (, ) is a Russian string instrument, stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perf ...
'' (1939), and ''
New Wine New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian charismatic evangelical organisation based in England, United Kingdom. It equips Christian churches and leaders in spiritual renewal, worship and church planting. Overview The purpose of New Wine is "loc ...
'' (1941). He also acted in films like '' The Hitler Gang'' (1944), '' Dragonwyck'' (1946), and '' The Vicious Circle'' (1948), among others. His most memorable performance was as Dr. Anderson, a Nazi conspirator, in the film '' Notorious'' released in 1946. Schünzel went to New York in 1945 to make a debut on Broadway. He acted in ''Temper the Wind'' in 1946, and both appeared in ''
Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...
'' and starred in the
Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize–winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withd ...
Broadway play ''
The Big Knife ''The Big Knife'' is a 1955 American melodrama film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by James Poe based on the 1949 play by Clifford Odets. The film stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod S ...
'' in 1949. Among the prizes he received was the ''Federal West German Film'' prize for the best supporting role in the movie ''My Father's Horses''. He became a U.S citizen in 1943 and he returned to Germany in 1949.


Personal life

Schünzel died of a heart attack in Munich, Germany. His daughter Marianne Stewart was born in Berlin, and followed her father by becoming an actress. She appeared in Broadway plays and was known for '' The Facts of Life'' (1960), '' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964), and '' Time Table'' (1956).


Filmography


German films

* '' The Grehn Case'' (1916) as Kriminalrat Rat Anheim * ''Der Fall Hoop'' (1916) as Kriminalrat Anheim * '' Bubi Is Jealous'' (1916) as Hellmut Hartleben * '' Werner Krafft'' (1916) as Heinz Kleinschmidt * '' The Confessions of the Green Mask'' (1916) * '' The Uncanny House'' (1916, 3 parts) as Engelbert Fox / Ralph Robin, Privatdetektiv * '' His Coquettish Wife'' (1916) * ''Die Stricknadeln'' (1916) * '' The Knitting Needles'' (1916) * '' Under the Spell of Silence'' (1916) * '' Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916) * '' Benjamin the Timid'' (1916) * '' The Night Talk'' (1917) * '' The Newest Star of Variety'' (1917) * '' The Coquette'' (1917) as Tertianer Rolf * '' The Unmarried Woman'' (1917) * '' The Lord of Hohenstein'' (1917) * '' Mountain Air'' (1917) as Von Storch * '' The Bracelet'' (1918) as Hausfreund * '' Countess Kitchenmaid'' (1918) as Der Schüchterne * '' Put to the Test'' (1918) as Reichsgraf Adolar von Warowingen * '' In the Castle by the Lake'' (1918) as Erich von Strehsen * ''
Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...
'' (1918) * ''
Spring Storms ''Spring Storms'' or ''Spring Storms in the Autumn of Life'' (German: ''Frühlingsstürme im Herbste des Lebens'') is a 1918 German silent film, silent drama film directed by and starring Fern Andra. It also features Josef Peterhans and Reinhold Sc ...
'' (1918) as Reinhold, Neffe von Königswart * ''
Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...
'' (1918) as Dick Tillinghaft, Reporter * '' The Mirror of the World'' (1918) as Konkurrent * '' The Ballet Girl'' (1918) as Eduard Stutzig, Lebemann * '' Diary of a Lost Woman'' (1918) as Graf Kasimir Osdorff * ''
Let There Be Light "Let there be light" is an English translation of the Hebrew (''yehi 'or'') found in Genesis 1:3 of the Torah, the first part of the Hebrew Bible. In Old Testament translations of the phrase, translations include the Greek phrase (''genēt ...
'' (1918) as Fabrikbesitzer Kallenbach * '' Film Kathi'' (1918) * '' Crown and Whip'' (1919) * ''Liebe, die sich frei verschenkt'' (1919) * ''
Prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
'' (1919) as Karl Döring * ''
Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...
'' (1919) as Archibald Corsican * '' Different from the Others'' (1919) as Franz Bollek * '' One or the Other'' (1919) * '' The Carousel of Life'' (1919) * '' The Apache of Marseilles'' (1919) as Apache Badinguet * ''
Hedda's Revenge ''Hedda's Revenge'' () is a 1919 German silent film directed by Jaap Speyer. Cast In alphabetical order References Bibliography * External links

* 1919 films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Jaap Speyer German silent ...
'' (1919) as Georg * '' The Peruvian'' (1919) as Egon Hartenstein * '' A Night in Paradise'' (1919) as Ede * ''Seelenverkäufer'' (1919) as Orville * '' Blonde Poison'' (1919) as Adolf Reiss * ''Die Prostitution, 2. Teil - Die sich verkaufen'' (1919) * '' The Secret of Wera Baranska'' (1919) * ''
Madame Du Barry Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry (; 28 August 1744 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution on accusations of treason—particularly being ...
'' (1919) as Minister Choiseul * '' Madness'' (1919) as Jörges * ''Seine Beichte (Bekenntnisse eines Lebemannes)'' (1919) as Achim von Wellinghausen * ''
During My Apprenticeship ''During My Apprenticeship'' () is a 1919 German silent drama film directed by Hubert Moest and starring Hedda Vernon, Reinhold Schünzel, and Wilhelm Diegelmann. It is based on the nineteenth century novel '' From My Farming Days'' by Fritz ...
'' (1919) as Axel von Rambow * '' Unheimliche Geschichten'' (1919) as Der Teufel (framing story) / Former husband (ep.1) / Murderer (ep,2) / Drunk (ep.3) / Artur Silas, detective (ep.4) / Travelling Baron (ep.5) * '' Lilli's Marriage'' (1919) as Dr. Goldmann * '' Lilli'' (1919) as Dr. Goldmann * ''Die schwarze Marion'' (1919) * '' The Duty to Live'' (1919) * '' The Devil and the Madonna'' (1919) * ''Was Den Männern Gefällt'' (1919) * ''
Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
'' (1919) as Herbert Warfield * ''Fieber'' (1919) * ''Was den Männern gefällt'' (1919) * '' The Rose of the Flyer'' (1919) * '' The Loves of Käthe Keller'' (1919) as Erbprinz Ottokar * '' The Girl and the Men'' (1919) * ''
The Secret of the American Docks ''The Secret of the American Docks'' (German: ''Das Geheimnis des Amerika-Docks'') is a 1919 German silent mystery film directed by Ewald André Dupont and starring Max Landa, Gustav Botz, and Reinhold Schünzel. The film's sets were designe ...
'' (1919) as Corbett, Reisender * ''
Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...
'' (1919) * '' The Count of Cagliostro'' (1920) as
Cagliostro Giuseppe Balsamo (; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795), known by the alias Count Alessandro di Cagliostro ( , ), was an Italian occultist and confidence trickster. Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician. He became a gl ...
* '' Figures of the Night'' (1920) as Sekretär * '' Dancer of Death'' (1920) * ''
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
'' (1920, director) as Leonhard * '' The Dancer Barberina'' (1920) as Prinz von Carignan * '' The Girl from Acker Street'' (1920, director) * ''
The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...
'' (1920) as Französischer Lagerkommandant * '' Three Nights'' (1920) as Verbrecher * '' The Bandits of Asnières'' (1920) as Jean, der Apache * '' Moriturus'' (1920) * ''
Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
'' (1920, director) as Tsar Peter * '' The Chameleon'' (1920) * '' Christian Wahnschaffe'' (1920) * '' The Anti-Detective'' (1920) * '' The Last Hour'' (1921) * '' The Story of a Maid'' (1921) * '' Deceiver of the People'' (1921, director) * '' Lady Hamilton'' (1921) as Ferdinand IV, König von Neapel * '' Money in the Streets'' (1922) as Harry Lister * '' Luise Millerin'' (1922) as Hofmarschall Kalb * ''
Bigamy In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mar ...
'' (1922) as Alexandroff * '' The Love Nest'' (1922) as Lothar von Brandt * ''
The Three Marys The Three Marys (also spelled Maries) are women mentioned in the Gospel, canonical gospels' narratives of the crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels refer to several women named Mary. At various points of Chris ...
'' (1923) as Don Juan de la Marana * '' The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen'' (1923) as Rasmussen * ''
The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by ...
'' (1923) * ''
Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
'' (1923) as Schieber * '' The Slipper Hero'' (1923) * '' The New Land'' (1924) * '' Strong Winds'' (1924, director) * '' Battle of the Butterflies'' (1924) as Richard Keßler, Reisender * '' A Woman for 24 Hours'' (1925, director) * '' Rags and Silk'' (1925) as Max * '' The Marriage Swindler'' (1925) * ''
Flight Around the World ''Flight Around the World'' () is a 1925 German silent adventure film directed by Willi Wolff and starring Ellen Richter, Reinhold Schünzel, and Bruno Kastner.Grange p. 193 It was released in two parts. It was shot at the Halensee Studios ...
'' (1925) as Louis Renard * '' The Flower Girl of Potsdam Square'' (1925) as Stiefelputzer * ''Der Flug um den Erdball, 2. Teil - Indien, Europa'' (1925) * ''
The Salesgirl from the Fashion Store ''The Salesgirl from the Fashion Store'' () is a 1925 German silent film, silent comedy film directed by Wolfgang Neff and starring Reinhold Schünzel, Lilly Flohr and Evi Eva.A New History of German Cinema p. 61 The film's sets were designed by ...
'' (1925) * '' Cock of the Roost'' (1925) as Peter Abendrot * '' Den of Iniquity'' (1925) as Emil Stiebel * ''Zwischen zwei Frauen'' (1925) * '' The Pride of the Company'' (1926) as Wilhelm, der Stolz der Kompagnie * '' Tea Time in the Ackerstrasse'' (1926) * '' Circus Romanelli'' (1926) as Der dumme August * '' We'll Meet Again in the Heimat'' (1926) as Gustav Knospe * '' The Imaginary Baron'' (1927) as Der Juxbaron * '' Hello Caesar!'' (1927) as Caesar, Artist * '' Heaven on Earth'' (1927) as Traugott Bellmann * '' Always Be True and Faithful'' (1927) as Orje Duff * '' Gesetze der Liebe'' (1927) * '' Herkules Maier'' (1928) as Stadtreisender Herkules Maier * '' Don Juan in a Girls' School'' (1928, director) as Dr. Eckehart Bleibtreu * ''
Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
'' (1928) as Adam Grünau * '' You Walk So Softly'' (1928, director) as Gustav Mond * '' From a Bachelor's Diary'' (1929) as Franz * '' Peter the Mariner'' (1929) as Peter Sturz * '' Column X'' (1929) as Robert Sandt, Führer der Kolonne X * '' Love in the Ring'' (1930) (uncredited) * '' Phantoms of Happiness'' (1930, director) * ''
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...
'' (1931) as
Czar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...
* ''
Ronny Ronny is a given name, sometimes a short form (hypocorism) of Ronald. It may refer to: * Ronny (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo * Ronny (footballer, born 1991), Brazilian footballer Ronieri da Silva ...
'' (1931, director) (German-language version) * ''
Ronny Ronny is a given name, sometimes a short form (hypocorism) of Ronald. It may refer to: * Ronny (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo * Ronny (footballer, born 1991), Brazilian footballer Ronieri da Silva ...
'' (1931, director) (French-language version) * '' The Little Escapade'' (1931, director) * ''
The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...
'' (1931) as Tiger Brown * '' Her Grace Commands'' (1931) as Staatsminister Graf Herlitz * '' Le Bal'' (1931) as Alfred Kampf (French-language version) * ' (1931) as Alfred Kampf (German-language version) * '' How Shall I Tell My Husband?'' (1932, director) * '' Le petit écart'' (1932, director) * '' The Beautiful Adventure'' (1932, director) * '' The Beautiful Adventure'' (1932, director) * '' Victor and Victoria'' (1933, writer and director) * '' Season in Cairo'' (1933, director) * '' Idylle au Caire'' (1933, director) * '' The English Marriage'' (1934, director) * '' George and Georgette'' (1934, director) * '' Die Töchter ihrer Exzellenz'' (1934, director) * '' La jeune fille d'une nuit'' (1934, director) * ''
Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named ...
'' (1935, writer and director) * '' Les dieux s'amusent'' (1935, director) * '' The Girl Irene'' (1936, director) * '' Donogoo Tonka'' (1936, director) * ''
Donogoo ''Donogoo'' is a 1936 French-German comedy film directed by Henri Chomette and Reinhold Schünzel and starring Renée Saint-Cyr, Raymond Rouleau and Marcel Simon (actor), Marcel Simon. It was produced and distributed by the French subsidiary of Ge ...
'' (1936, director) * '' Land of Love'' (1937, director) * ''Die Stimme Reichstag's'' (1949) as himself


American films

* '' Rich Man, Poor Girl'' (1938, director) * '' The Ice Follies of 1939'' (1939, director) * ''
Balalaika The balalaika (, ) is a Russian string instrument, stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perf ...
'' (1939, director) * '' The Great Awakening'' (1941, director) * '' Hangmen Also Die!'' (1943) as Gestapo Insp. Ritter * '' First Comes Courage'' (1943) as Col. Kurt von Elser * '' Hostages'' (1943) as Kurt Daluege * '' The Hitler Gang'' (1944) as Gen. Ludendorff * '' The Man in Half Moon Street'' (1945) as Dr. Kurt van Bruecken * '' Dragonwyck'' (1946) as Count De Grenier (uncredited) * '' Notorious'' (1946) as Dr. Anderson * '' Plainsman and the Lady'' (1946) as Michael H. Arnesen * '' Golden Earrings'' (1947) as Prof. Otto Krosigk * ''
Berlin Express ''Berlin Express'' is a 1948 American drama film starring Robert Ryan, Merle Oberon and Paul Lukas and directed by Jacques Tourneur. Thrown together by chance, a group of people search a city for a kidnapped peace activist. Set in Allied-occu ...
'' (1948) as Walther * '' The Vicious Circle'' (1948) as Baron Arady * '' Washington Story'' (1952) as Peter Kralik


West German films

* '' The Dubarry'' (1951, director) * ''Meines Vaters Pferde I. Teil Lena und Nicoline'' (1954) as Konsul Rittinghaus * ''Meines Vaters Pferde, 2. Teil: Seine dritte Frau'' (1954) as Konsul Rittinghaus * '' A Love Story'' (1954) as Schlumberger, Schauspieldirektor (final film role)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schunzel, Reinhold 1886 births 1954 deaths American male film actors Film directors from Hamburg German male film actors German male silent film actors Film directors from Los Angeles Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Jewish American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century German male actors Male actors from Hamburg People from Hamburg-Mitte German silent film directors